The Lord’s Prayer begins with an invocation: “Our Father in heaven.” The remainder of the model prayer consists of petitions to the heavenly Father. The first petition is “Hallowed be your name.” The last petition is “Deliver us from evil.” Prayer is both an act of worship and an act of warfare.  We pray for certain things and against certain things.  It is our prayer that god be exalted, and evil be defeated.  J.I. Packer wrote: “The vision of life in God’s family that we learn from the Lord’s Prayer has three dimensions. It is a life of devotion, of dependence, and of danger.” “Deliver us from evil” is a war cry that acknowledges the pervasive reality of evil, recognizes...

The Lord’s Prayer teaches the heavenly Father can be trusted with all of our needs – past, present, and future. We can pray about present needs: “Give us this day our daily bread.” We can pray about past sins: “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” We can pray about future trials: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” The Model Prayer also teaches us to pray about what we need the most. We need divine provision: “Give us this day our daily bread.” We need divine pardon: “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” We need divine protection: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver...

The Lord’s Prayer begins with God’s glory. The second half focuses on our needs. These personal petitions begin our bodies: “Give us this day our daily bread.” The remaining petitions address our souls: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”Even though our bodies are addressed first, the priority is our souls.  The first concern of the soul is stated in Matthew 6:12: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven debtors.” The first word of this petition is the conjunction “and,” which connects verse 12 to verse 11: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Forgiveness...

The first three petitions of The Lord's Prayer focus on God’s glory: Your name. Your kingdom. Your will. The remaining petitions focus on our needs: Our daily bread. Our debts. Lead us not. Deliver us. This transition does not suggest competing or conflicting priorities in prayer. It is not that we address God’s priorities and then address our priorities. In all of these petitions, God occupies the place of priority. When we pray about God’s name, kingdom, and will, we express devotion to God. When we pray for bread, forgiveness, leadership, and deliverance, we express dependence upon God. When our...

The Lord’s Prayer begins with an invocation: “Our Father in heaven.” Then Jesus teaches seven petitions to the heavenly Father. The first three petitions are God-centered: “Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The remaining petitions address our personal needs. In a real sense, the first three petitions are synonymous. They are three different ways of asking for the same thing. God’s name is hallowed when God’s kingdom comes. God’s kingdom comes when God’s will is done. This third petition is transitional. God’s name, kingdom, and will are heavenly...

The first line of The Lord’s Prayer teaches us how to approach God in prayer: “Our Father in heaven.” The remainder of the prayer petitions the heavenly Father. The first petition is, “Hallowed be your name.” Sincere prayer is God-centered. Prayer is about what God wants from us before what we want from God. To say that God wants something from us does not mean God needs anything from us. God is self-existence. He does not need our faith. God is holy. He does not need our moral support. God is sovereign. He does not need our permission. God owns...

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Old Testament references to the throne of God declare the holiness, glory, and sovereignty of God. In Christ, the throne of God is a fountain of grace and mercy. Yet it remains a throne. It is a seat of divine authority. It is the place from which God reigns over heaven and earth. Jesus says: Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.”  In...

The disciples asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” In Matthew 18:3-4, Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom.”  Childlikeness is the way to kingdom greatness. It is also the way to kingdom citizenship. You must become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven. To be accepted into the kingdom is to be adopted by the King. Citizens of the kingdom are children of the King. Jesus affirms this in the invocation of The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven.” The...